Domains Help

What are Domain Backorders?

Domain Backorders is a service that helps you attempt to acquire a domain name when it becomes available for registration. It includes a Domain Monitoring membership, a GoDaddy Auctions® membership, $10 toward your first auction bid, and one year of domain name registration.

Placing a backorder does not guarantee that you will acquire the domain name. The current registrant might renew the domain name, or we might be unsuccessful in our attempt to register it for you.

Many variables affect the Domain Backorders process. For instance, you might have to participate in an auction to win your backordered domain name, and the auction might be public or private. This process is in place to provide each of our customers an equal opportunity to acquire domain names.

You backorder a domain name — You can purchase a backorder for a domain name before it expires. While there can be multiple backorders per each domain, individually you can only place one backorder on a domain at any given time. For instructions on placing a backorder, see Setting up Domain Backorders.

You monitor the domain name — With your free Domain Monitoring membership, you can monitor your backordered domain name and receive email notifications within 24 hours of any changes in registrar, status, expiration date, or nameservers.

When the backorder reaches its available date, the registry will release the domain name to the public. At this time, we will attempt to acquire domain names via backorder. The domain's "available state" status does not guarantee the domain name will be captured.

Note: The available date is calculated using the domain name's expiration date, renewal grace period, and redemption period, if applicable.

The domain name expires and goes to auction — When the domain name expires, it enters a 10-day public auction at GoDaddy Auctions. You must actively participate in the auction until it ends.

Here’s how the auction works:

If you placed the first backorder, we place an opening bid of $10 for you, and we send you an email about the auction.

If someone outbids you, we notify via email. You can place a higher bid, apply the backorder credit to another domain name, or request a refund from our support department. See GoDaddy's Refund Policy.

Note: We include only the first $10 bid in the price of the backorder.

If you didn’t place the first backorder, we email you regarding the auction and you can begin placing bids.

The auction ends — Even if you win the auction, the current registrant can still renew the domain name during the next few weeks.

Here's how it works:

If you win, but the current registrant renews the domain name, we notify you via email.

If you win and the registrant does not renew the domain name, we process a change of registrant and move the domain name into your account within 45 days. Your domain name is registered with us for one year from the time it enters your account.

If you don't win or if the current registrant renews the domain name, you can request a refund from our support department or apply your backorder credit to another domain name. See Change a Backorder to a different domain name.

You backorder a domain name — You can purchase a backorder for a domain names before it expires. While there can be multiple backorders per each domain, individually you can only place one backorder on a domain at any given time. For instructions on placing a backorder, see Setting up Domain Backorders.

We monitor the domain name daily — Our system checks the domain name’s status each day until the registry releases it. Every registry provides a daily list of domain names they are releasing and the time of release. You can view changes to a domain name’s registrar, status, expiration date, or nameservers in your Domain Monitoring account.

We attempt to capture the domain name — When the backorder reaches its availability date, the registry will release the domain name to the public. At this time, we will attempt to acquire the domain name via backorder and continue making attempts until we or another registrar captures it.

If you are the only customer with a backorder on the domain name, then we award the domain name to you without an auction.

If there are multiple backorder holders, then we invite everyone to a private auction where only backorder holders can participate.

If you are the first backorder holder, we place an opening bid of $10 for you, and we send you an email about the auction. If someone outbids you, we notify via email. You can place a higher bid, apply the backorder credit to another domain name, or request a refund from our support department. See GoDaddy's Refund Policy.

Note: We include only the first bid in the price of the backorder. You are financially responsible for additional bids.

If you didn’t place the first backorder, we email you regarding the auction and you can begin placing bids.